# **The Most Grueling Mode in Pillars of Eternity 2: A Challenge So Intense That Even the Developers Applaud**
When discussing challenging games, gems like *Dark Souls*, *Sekiro*, and the famously hard *The Lion King* on Game Boy often come to mind. Yet, YouTuber **Mortismal Gaming** has recently brought attention to a new rival for the title of hardest gaming challenge: *Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire*.
While the standard mode of the game offers a solid challenge, the **Triple Crown mode with all twelve God Challenges activated** ramps up the difficulty to an unprecedented level. This challenge is so formidable that even the creators at **Obsidian Entertainment** extend their congratulations to those who manage to finish it.
Let’s explore what renders this mode so brutal, how Mortismal Gaming triumphed, and Obsidian’s response to this remarkable accomplishment.
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## **The Pinnacle of Challenge in Pillars of Eternity 2**
Mortismal Gaming’s video outlines the precise conditions necessary to tackle this nearly-impossible challenge. To prevail, players must finish *Pillars of Eternity 2* under these stipulations:
### **Triple Crown Mode**
This mode merges three harsh difficulty settings:
– **Expert Mode:** Removes helpful UI components like combat tooltips, comprehensive quest updates, and even warnings for negative dialogue selections.
– **Path of the Damned Difficulty:** The most challenging difficulty setting, enhancing all enemy stats significantly.
– **Level Scaling (Upwards Only):** Enemies get level increases, while players receive no assistance in scaling down.
### **The God Challenges**
As though Triple Crown mode weren’t already challenging enough, activating all twelve **God Challenges** imposes even more severe restrictions:
– **Time-Limited Quests:** Certain quests must be completed within strict deadlines, or the game concludes.
– **Damned NPC Escort Mission:** A character named **Vela** must endure throughout the game; her death results in failure.
– **Permanent Death Mechanics:** If any party member is incapacitated for ten real-world seconds, they face permanent death.
– **No Escape:** Fleeing from combat is not an option.
With these conditions, *Pillars of Eternity 2* transforms into one of the most ruthless RPG experiences ever crafted.
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## **How Mortismal Gaming Defeated the Challenge**
In order to achieve this daunting task, Mortismal Gaming meticulously chose a **formidable class combination**:
### **Bloodmage + Priest of Skaen**
This pairing offered critical abilities crucial for surviving the punishing difficulty:
– **Bloodmage:** Can replenish class resources mid-combat by sacrificing health, allowing for uninterrupted spellcasting.
– **Priest of Skaen:** Provides access to three vital spells:
– **Withdraw:** Shields Vela during combat, ensuring her survival.
– **Barring Death’s Door & Salvation of Time:** When paired with a specific item, these spells enable the character to **stack buffs eternally**, rendering them nearly invulnerable.
While this approach seems powerful, the true challenge lay in **navigating the early game** before unlocking these essential abilities. The initial hours of the run proved to be an absolute trial, necessitating immense patience, skill, and strategy.
Despite these obstacles, Mortismal Gaming **successfully completed the Triple Crown mode**—an accomplishment achieved by very few players globally.
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## **A Personal Message from a Gaming Icon**
Obsidian Entertainment was understandably taken aback when they received an email from Mortismal Gaming titled: **”I did it, ha!”**
However, merely declaring victory wasn’t sufficient. To validate the achievement, Mortismal Gaming needed to provide:
– A **complete recording** of the gameplay.
– The **save file** for Obsidian’s review.
Once approved, Mortismal Gaming was rewarded with a **custom letter from Josh Sawyer**, the renowned game director of *Pillars of Eternity 2*, *Fallout: New Vegas*, *Icewind Dale*, and *Neverwinter Nights 2*.
This letter serves as a **prestigious accolade** for conquering one of the toughest RPG challenges ever designed.
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## **Interested in Trying It for Yourself? Time Remains!**
For those feeling daring (or somewhat masochistic), there’s still an opportunity to obtain your own letter from Josh Sawyer. Obsidian has announced that they will continue to issue these personalized letters **until 50 players have completed the challenge**.
Thus far, only **15 individuals worldwide** have succeeded. Will you be the next one?
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## **Closing Thoughts: A Challenge for the Ages**
The *Triple Crown + God Challenges* mode in *Pillars of Eternity 2* isn’t merely difficult—it’s an **exercise in patience, strategy**.